Guilt
by insipidity
Summary: Bolin/Iroh. While rebuilding Republic City, the duo ends up spending quite a lot of time together. Iroh feels guilty about his feelings, and things go a bit awry. When Mako hears what is going on, things take a turn for the worse. Rating goes up in chapter 4 due to some discussions on sexual violence. COMPLETED. A sequel fic possibly coming up
1. Chapter 1

**Guilt**

**Chapter 1**

"I'm going out with the general. Bye, I'll see you later!" Bolin yelled as he exited the Airbender house he and his brother were still staying at. Iroh smiled as the Earthbender approached him. After Amon had been defeated, Iroh had chosen to stay if for nothing else, then to help the citizens of Republic City rebuild their homes. He was often paired up with Bolin, as their combined bending abilities were a good fit for most houses. Bolin re-shaped the walls while Iroh worked on metal pipes and electricity.

Bolin was a good companion, as he was always ready to listen and didn't shy away from giving out a good laugh when it was needed. Iroh had come to enjoy his company very much. A little too much, he had lately come to realize. There were these times when Bolin suddenly leaned against him, usually under the pretense of not wanting to step on a small animal or being pushed by a stranger Iroh could've sworn had been nowhere near Bolin. The weight of Bolin's body against his made his body react. The boy was barely of age but already had the body of a beautiful muscular man. Iroh shook his head to rid himself of lewd thoughts. What kind of a soldier would daydream about a man, nay, boy so much younger than him?

Bolin reached him and they left Air Temple Island together, Republic City as their destination.

They started working on the house they were assigned to in the morning. They were fed by the people they were building the house for. Usually they had others to help them, but this time it was just them. At the end of the day, sky suddenly went dark and Iroh thought it was an enemy ship blocking the Sun. He prepared himself to blast a fireball at the enemy, when Bolin sighed and said: "I guess it's time to go home now." Iroh hesitated, and realized that the Sun had simply gone down. He waved his hand to make the fireball vanish and followed Bolin to their ride.

"Actually, if you're not too tired, I'd like to take a walk around the city. Just for a bit." Bolin seemed to be trying to look nonchalant, failing miserably at it. Iroh wasn't sure what the Earthbender was up to, but agreed nonetheless.

They walked slowly, as they were exhausted from the work. They didn't talk, just lazily stared at what was left of Republic City. Suddenly Iroh realized that Bolin had directed him to an alley, away from the crowds. There was nobody in sight. "Bolin. What is this?"

"I thought this would be a good place to...tell you."

"Tell me what?"

Bolin looked at him for a while. He then raised his arms a bit and closed the gap between them. He placed his hands gently on Iroh's shoulders. His eyes were now half-closed, as if he was in a daze.

Every cell in his body was telling Iroh to jump the boy. But he couldn't. He was an honorable man, at least he liked to think so. Honorable men didn't...they just didn't.

Bolin moved his lips closer to Iroh's face. Iroh's body was screaming for him to give in.

"No." The word came as a surprise to both Iroh and Bolin. It took a moment for Iroh to realize that it had been him who had uttered the word. It took him less time to act on his word. He pushed Bolin away. He repeated the word more loudly.

"Why? You want me. I know you do. I may have kid myself before, with Korra, but you, you do." Bolin let his arms fall to his sides.

Iroh couldn't bear to face him. "Yes. I do want you. And I do like you. But it is not love. Nor is it proper."

"'Like' is good. 'Like' I can work with. But what do you mean, proper?"

"You are so young. Too young. At least for me."

"I'm not a kid-"

"You're a kid in every way but one." Iroh hadn't meant to sound as harsh as he had, but Bolin still looked hurt. "I am not a good person. At least not for you." He realized he was sounding repetitive, so he decided to stop talking.

Bolin wrapped his arms around him and delicately brushed Iroh's hair back. With the same hand, he caressed Iroh's face. "You are a good man."

"A good man wouldn't want to kiss you."

"Then maybe you aren't a good man", Bolin said, clearly changing his tactics and leaned in, about to kiss him.

Iroh detached himself from him and walked two steps away from Bolin. "There's a difference between not being a good man and being a worse man. I will not take advantage of your youth. In a few years, you'll be glad I didn't." He nodded to Bolin in goodbye, and turned to leave. He didn't get very far before Bolin used his Earthbending to trap his feet. Bolin turned him around and walked up to him. He then released Iroh, who tried to turn to leave again. Before he could, though, Bolin grabbed his face and planted a chaste kiss on his lips.

Iroh staggered backwards. He then looked at Bolin, who was clearly waiting for him to react. It was as if the kiss had flipped a switch. He grabbed the Earthbender and shoved him against the wall, hungrily kissing him at the same time. He was in such a daze that he forgot his senses, and sank his teeth in that little spot behind Bolin's left ear. This made Bolin cry out in pain, but he didn't care. He proceeded to place his hand under Bolin's shirt so that he could -

"No", Bolin said. The word stopped Iroh at his tracks. He took a step back and let go of Bolin. "What?"

"You said you don't love me. I won't go **that** far if you don't."

Iroh was surprised by the resolve Bolin displayed when speaking. "That is fair." He tried to make his mind clear again. "It's best if we don't see each other anymore."

Bolin seemed gutted. "Just because I won't sleep with you?"

"No, because I want to. You saw me out there. I'm an 'in for a penny, in for a pound' type of guy. And that's not what you want nor deserve." Iroh realized there was blood on Bolin's neck.

"You're bleeding."

Bolin seemed scared for a moment, then he put his hand behind his ear. "It's from...where you bit me."

"Oh." Iroh looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry."

Bolin shook his head. "It doesn't hurt too much."

Iroh hesitated, but then leaned in to place a kiss on Bolin's cheek. "I'm sorry for everything else, too."

Bolin left to go home. Iroh followed him from a distance to make sure nothing happened to him on his way to the harbor.


	2. Chapter 2

**Guilt**

**chapter 2**

Mako was just about to go look for Korra when he saw Bolin come through the front door. "Hey Bo." Bolin flinched and turned to look at him. He flashed him a smile that would've fooled anyone but Mako. "Hello."

Mako walked up to him and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?" Mako noticed there was something on Bolin's neck. He grabbed Bolin's collar and pulled it to get a better look. "Shit, Bo, you're bleeding!"

"Oh, that. It's nothing."

"Come on, we have to clean it up." Mako pushed Bolin towards the kitchen.

"Where is everybody, anyway?" Bolin asked sheepishly as they walked.

"Korra is doing important Avatar stuff. Tenzin is out at a meeting and Pema decided to take the Airbender kids out for a picnic. It's just us."

"No Asami?"

"No, she lives at the mansion now, remember? She's now in charge of her father's business and needs to live closer to the office."

"Right." Bolin sighed and sat on one of the chairs. Mako found a rug and some water and took a seat next to him. "Do you ever think you might want to get back together with Asami?"

"Well...sometimes. But after I..."

"Cheated on her?"

Mako sighed. Bolin had lectured him on his transgression many times since the incident, and he was too tired for it now. "I'm together with Korra now. That's all that matters." He dampened the rug in the bowl of water and started cleaning Bolin's neck. "What the hell happened to you?"

"I was..." Mako could tell Bolin was trying to think of a lie. He had always been able to tell when his brother was lying.

"Did you get into a fight with someone? Or did something fall on you from one of the building ruins?"

"Yes. Definitely. The first one." Bolin looked a bit like a blowfish when he puckered his lips, trying to look extra honest. Mako wasn't falling for it.

"Did you have a fight with Iroh?" He was the first person that came to Mako's mind, as he had seen Bolin take off with him in the morning.

Bolin looked shocked for a moment. He then tried to make his face very still, and Mako knew he had hit a nerve. "So it was Iroh." Bolin looked away as Mako finished cleaning the wound. Once it was clear of blood, Mako could see that the wound looked more like a hickey that had been made in a rather violent way. But of course, that was impossible. Bolin was too young for anything like that.

Mako observed Bolin for a moment. He had a hickey on his neck, he was avoiding eye contact and his shirt was slightly torn. All of the details could have been explained away easily enough, when separate, but put together...

"Bo." Bolin finally turned to look at him. "Did Iroh..." he searched for the right words, but they simply didn't come to him. "...try to, you know, force himself on you?"

"No! I mean, we kissed, but then he started using...alright, maybe he was a bit forceful. I mean he came on a little too strong for me, so I told him to stop. And then I just kind of left."

Mako listened quietly. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah. Never better. Thanks for cleaning the wound."

"Don't mention it. Hey, I still have things to do before the day ends but would you like to go join Pema and the kids? They're at the usual spot in the shore. They should have a lot of food with them..." he added, knowing that Bolin couldn't resist sweets. He was right, as Bolin happily rushed away. Mako washed the bowl, that was now stained with blood and put the rug away. He then sighed. He still had things to do, alright.

While in Republic City, Iroh stayed with the rest of his fleet. They were camped out just outside the city. Iroh, being the general, had his own tent, but he could still hear everyone and everything that happened in the camp, making it difficult for him to sleep at night. He had just settled into reading his favorite book, when Mako entered his tent. For a moment he didn't realize why the man would've come to see him, but the sight of Mako's furious expression quickly connected the dots to him. Bolin's brother.

"What did you do to my brother?"

Iroh wasn't sure how much Mako knew, so he decided to play the uncaring general card that came so naturally to him. "I told him we shouldn't see each other anymore." As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Iroh knew that they had been the wrong words to say.

"So you were seeing him before? For how long?" Mako crossed his arms, looking as if he'd burst into flames any minute. "I **said**, how long were you seeing my little brother who also happens to be a minor?"

"Today was the first time anything happened, and it will also be the last. I told your brother he was too young for me, he didn't believe me and tried to convince me." Iroh turned away from Mako. He found it easier to concentrate when the younger Firebender wasn't trying to burn through him with his eyes.

"Don't try to turn this around and make it look like Bolin jumped you. He's a freaked out kid who came home bleeding!"

Iroh winced. "Is he alright?"

"Yeah, no thanks to you."

Iroh stared at the ground. "I'm sorry for what I did to your brother. It won't happen again. I've already arranged us to be assigned to different teams from now on. There should be no other reason for us to meet, would there?"

"Good. Stay away from him, or you and I are going to have a problem."

Iroh smiled, his back still turned to Mako. "I think I could beat you in a fight."

"Yes, but I'm not going to fight you, am I? I'm going to report you. Do you think the Fire Nation would still have you in their ranks if they heard about this?"

Iroh finally turned to face Mako. "Everybody in the camp already heard you shouting at me. You have nothing to hold against me. Good day."

Mako left the tent, and realized that everybody in the camp was staring at him and whispering about him to each other. Iroh had been right. For a moment Mako felt bad about potentially ruining Iroh's career, but then he remembered that Iroh deserved it.

Iroh went to bed. The good thing about his men whispering about him to each other was that they were more silent than usual, and that meant he had a chance to actually sleep for once. Before he drifted off to sleep, he thought about Bolin. The memory of the dark curly haired man teased him.

"It was not to be."


	3. Chapter 3

**Guilt**

**Chapter 3**

Bolin was annoyed.

Immediately after the events of the previous night, Bolin had been assigned a new partner. He knew Iroh was behind it. He had quickly found an excuse to ditch his post to find Iroh and give him a piece of his mind. When he arrived at the camp, though, he saw Lin Beifong, reinstated as chief of police, walking Iroh to a police van. Iroh appeared to be handcuffed. Bolin ran up to the car.

"What are you doing?" He grabbed Lin by her arm in an effort to stop her. Lin, however, was unshakable. She was still holding onto Iroh with her other hand. Iroh stopped walking as she stopped, but kept his gaze in front of him, purposely ignoring Bolin.

"General Iroh is to be detained until proper authorities arrive to judge his case."

"What case? What has he done?"

"You should know better than anyone. Actually, we're going to need you to come in as a witness. Are you free now?"

Bolin shot an unsure glance at Iroh, but as the man still refused to look at him, he simply gave Lin a weak nod and said: "Yes."

Lin detached herself from Bolin's grip and pushed Iroh to the back of the van. Iroh took a seat and stared in front of him. His dejected expression wounded Bolin to the core, as he had a feeling he was the cause of it. Lin closed the doors and got in the driver's seat. Bolin took a seat next to her.

As Lin started driving, Bolin turned to face her.

"So what exactly did he do?"

Lin drove on, her eyes on the road. "Your brother came to the camp last night. He put on a big show about how Iroh took advantage of his little brother. The whole camp heard, and someone reported it to their seniors. The matter is to be handled quietly, and that's why it's just me and not my whole force who's taking him in."

"It's hardly a secret if everybody sees him coming out of a cop car." Bolin pouted. The whole ordeal was ridiculous to him. And Mako. Why did he have to go and freak out like that?

"There are other entrances than the front door, you know."

Once in the parking lot under the police station, Lin resumed his grip on Iroh and they started walking towards the holding cells. Lin uncuffed Iroh. Just when Lin had opened the cell and was urging Iroh to go in, Bolin brought his hands to the general's cheeks, forcing the older man to look at him. "I'm sorry."

Iroh used his hands to push Bolin away. "It's not your fault. I'm here because of my own actions." He was about to walk inside the cell when Bolin suddenly grabbed him in a furious embrace.

Lin saw Iroh's surprised expression melt into a tender one. To the delight of the boy embracing him, Iroh clumsily nuzzled the boy's neck. Then he realized Lin was staring at him, and his face grew serious and cold. He pushed Bolin away again, this time more abruptly, and stepped inside the cell.

For one beautiful moment, Bolin had had the general in his arms, but he realized that he had probably imagined Iroh hugging him back. The man probably hated him now, considering that his career was about to come to an end because of him.

Lin cleared her throat. "Come along now", she said to Bolin while urging him to the stairs. Bolin shot one last look at Iroh, but the general had his back turned to him.

Bolin soon found himself in a questioning room. Lin told him that he would be questioned as soon as the Fire Nation army's representatives would arrive. That meant hours of waiting.

In the evening, the door finally opened and a man who distinctly looked like he was from the Fire Nation walked in. "Bolin? The case concerning.."

"General Iroh, yes." The man nodded, flashing him a content smile and sat in front of him.

"As you are a minor, we're going to need your parents or your guardian to come in with you. Is such a person available at this hour?"

"My parents are dead. I guess Mako, my brother, is my guardian."

"Quite right. I'll have him fetched to us." The man stepped out. An hour or so passed before Mako walked through the door and took a seat next to Bolin. He tried to greet Bolin, but the Eartbender turned away from him. Before Mako could ask Bolin if he was mad at him, the Fire Nation Rep returned and resumed his seat in front of them.

"You are Mako, Bolin's guardian?"

"Yes."

"Do we have your permission to question Bolin?"

"On what matter?" Mako was afraid Bolin had gotten himself into trouble again.

"He is our primary witness in the case concerning general Iroh and his alleged affair with a minor, specifically your brother."

Mako gaped at the man in front of him. He then glanced at Bolin, who was visibly pouting.

"Yes, you have my permission."

"Wonderful. Sign here." Mako scribbled his name on the paper he was offered and stood up. He rested his hand on Bolin's shoulder. "I'll wait for you outside, Bo."

Bolin didn't answer. Mako left the room.

"Now that that's settled, let me present myself to you. My name is Ozai."

Bolin stared at him eyes wide open. Ozai laughed. "Don't worry, there is no relation to **that** Ozai."

Bolin relaxed. Ozai opened his folder and took out a few papers. "Now, let me start the questioning. How did you meet general Iroh?"

"We were both helping Korra, I mean Avatar Korra when Amon attacked. Iroh, Asami, Naaga and me teamed up on a mission assigned to us by Avatar Korra."

"At the end of that mission, what was your relationship with Iroh like?"

"Comrades. Friends? Maybe."

"So you weren't intimate then?"

Bolin blushed. "No."

"Have you been intimate with him since then?" Ozai paused when he saw that Bolin's face was crooked from thinking.

"What do you mean by intimate?"

"Has he touched you in a way that made you uncomfortable?"

"N-no." Bolin became bright red. He wasn't sure if it was because he was embarrassed by the nature of the questions or because he was angry as the questions were obviously engineered to turn their relationship into something it was not. His best bet was to deny everything. "He has never touched me in any way."

"Your brother seems to think otherwise."

"I think I know my own body better than he does."

Ozai nodded. "You may go now."

Bolin sighed out of relief. "That was all?"

"That was all. Oh, would you be a dear and have your brother come in as well? He is our next witness."


	4. Chapter 4

Guilt

Chapter 4

Mako looked up when Bolin came through the door. "Bolin, I didn't mean for this to happen. But it's probably better that it did."

Bolin shot him a venomous glance. "They want to talk to you now."

"I'm going to tell them what you told me."

"Good."

"It's not good, Bo."

Inside, Ozai introduced himself and told him to take a seat.

"So, according to you, what happened last night?"

"Bolin came home. He looked shaken, and he was bleeding."

"Bleeding where?"

Mako pointed to the place behind his left ear.

"I see. Did you find out why he was bleeding there?"

"After I cleaned the wound, I discovered it was a hickey. Made by Iroh. Bolin said Iroh used force when attempting to, you know, 'get' with him, but Bolin refused him and escaped."

"As these are serious allegations, I want you to clarify. Did your brother say Iroh tried to force himself on Bolin?"

Mako was silent for a moment. "No. I do not believe that is the case. Like I said, Bolin was shaken, but he was more confused than hurt."

"Do you think Iroh and Bolin are in a relationship?"

"I think my brother would've told me if they were. He can't hide things from me. I believe last night was the first incident of this kind."

"Very well." Ozai motioned Mako to go. He had Iroh brought to the interrogation room.

"Well, general Iroh. I never thought we'd be seeing you here. At least not on that side."

Iroh nodded. "Honor to meet you, sir."

"Why don't you tell me what happened? In as much detail as possible."

"As you might know, after Amon was defeated I chose to stay behind and help the citizens of Republic City rebuild their homes. I was often partnered with Bolin, whom I already knew somewhat from a mission we worked together on, along with Miss Asami Sato."

"Were you friendly with Bolin?"

"Yes. He is a fun person and a good friend. I sometimes talked to him about missing home, and he told me about missing out on having parents."

"Was there something beyond friendly between you two?"

Iroh sighed. "I suppose I knew, in a way, that Bolin had grown...attached to me, but I thought it was simply because he was happy to have a friend who didn't compare him to his brother. Last night, he suggested we go for a walk, and while we were on that walk, he kissed me."

Ozai wrote everything down and then urged Iroh to continue. "I...lost control. I believe I was quite rough with him, and left him bleeding from where I bit him. If he hadn't told me to stop, I would've gone all the way. So, I am guilty."

Ozai finished writing and wrinkled his eyebrows. "Of what?"

"For laying a hand on a minor?" Iroh felt as if he was being mocked.

"General, to tell you the truth, the army doesn't care about you fornicating with a boy who is going to be an adult in 5 months. That matter will be settled by the regular police force, namely the one lead by Lin Beifong as it is the one closest to you."

"Then what are you here for?"

"I'm here to determine whether there was consent or not. If not, the matter belongs to the Fire Nation army's hands. If yes, you will stand trial about the more trivial matter."

"But I just told you, I was rough-"

"According to you, he kissed you first. So, now I'll show your testimony to him, and ask him whether he was or wasn't a willing participant. We are also going to have Bolin examined. If the tests and your testimonies put together convince me that he is not a victim, I can leave the city and you'll deal with the authorities here." Ozai seemed tired. Iroh realized that if he had been reported last night, the representative must have travelled the whole night and day to get to Republic City. He felt guilty for troubling the man.

He wished Bolin was older. How different things would be. He also wished he had had more restraint, as that was the real reason he was in this mess. He cursed his treacherous body. This wouldn't have happened if he was truly in control of his body. He decided he needed to meditate. After meeting Bolin, he hadn't meditated as often as he should have. That was the only reason for this whole mess. His body was out of control and not in sync with his mind. Mind over matter. He assumed lotus position and let his mind wonder.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but he was in deep thought when Ozai returned. "As far as the Fire Nation army is concerned, you are free to go." Iroh bowed his head respectfully, and Ozai left. Lin Beifong came in after him. "But Republic City judicial system is not yet done with you, so you can't actually leave. But you may have a visitor."

Iroh wondered who in the five Kingdoms would want to see him. He uncrossed his legs to simply sit on the floor. Bolin walked in and with a few long steps sank into his lap.

"Bolin!"

Bolin hugged him with his strong arms. Iroh couldn't help but smile. He noticed that Lin hadn't left the room. "Chief, are you sure it's okay for us to meet before the trial?"

"No, and that's why I'm listening in. In case you two try anything like matching your stories or something."

"This must be uncomfortable for you."

"It is."

Iroh chuckled and turned his attention back to Bolin. The moment had brought him much happiness. Alas, he knew it had to end. He grabbed Bolin's wrists and brought Bolin's hands to his chest. "Bolin, we can't be together."

Bolin looked frustrated. "Why not? The army guy left, and he said everything was alright by him."

"It's still not over. I will have to face charges by a regular court."

"But why? I will just tell them what I told the army guy and all will be well."

"I can't talk to you about the trial. You're going to be a witness."

"But if you win, then can we be together?"

"No. I wish I could make you understand, but no."

Bolin stared at him. Then, with one blow, he broke Iroh's grip on him and threw himself on Iroh. Iroh fell on his back and Bolin held him down as he kissed him. Iroh then freed himself and got up to stand. Bolin did the same. Iroh was about to yell at him for not listening to him but then he saw Bolin's face. It was that of utter defeat. "Bolin..."

"I lied to you before. I do remember my parents. Not their faces, or what they were like, but I remember they loved Mako more than me. It was alright, though. I love Mako. And I think he always liked me better than our parents, so in a way, it was all good. I got to keep the one family member who liked me most."

Iroh expected Bolin to cry, but he didn't. His face was dreadfully calm, his smile faint and crooked. Bolin continued. "Over the years, I noticed that it wasn't just my parents. Everybody loved him more than me. If I made friends or met someone, when they met Mako, it was like they forgot about me. That's what happened with Korra, too. I mean, she didn't forget about me, but it's pretty clear who she's more interested in." Bolin shrugged, his expression still so unlike him. Was this what he was really like, behind the fake smile? Iroh's heart sank.

"I didn't want to trouble Mako. After all, he's spent his whole life taking care of me. So I pretended not to care when I didn't have any real friends, so I put on a happy faces. I was lonely, sure, but I didn't let it get to me. I had Pabu."

Iroh had been wondering where Pabu had been. Then he remembered Bolin had mentioned him playing with Naga while he was out rebuilding houses.

"When I met you, I thought I could finally be who I was pretending to be." Bolin's voice was like a whisper now. It sounded awful, coming from him. Iroh was horrified. "You would love me for me, and I could be...happy." He realized Iroh was staring at him. "But I guess I was wrong. Once again."

He walked out of the room without giving Iroh a chance to react.

Lin watched as Iroh brought a hand to his face and burst into tears.


	5. Chapter 5

**Guilt**

**Chapter 5**

Iroh woke up to Lin shaking him. "You are free to go."

"What? Why?"

"The prosecutor said there is no case." Lin sat on the bed to explain the situation to him. "The age of consent is 17, but as you two didn't actually go all the way at any point, the prosecutor said there is no real case here. However, as a piece of friendly advice, I suggest you get out of town anyway. Mako is still Bolin's guardian, and while age of consent is 17, his legal hold on Bolin extends to his 18th birthday, meaning he can have a restraining order put on you until such time."

Iroh listened quietly. "Yes. I believe it is time I leave Republic City. I'd just like to say goodbye to my fleet."

"I knew you would, and they are just outside the station waiting for you."

Iroh had partly dreaded the meeting, but it actually went rather well. The men wondered where he was going after returning to the Fire Nation, whether the incident would go on his permanent record and were generally rather supportive. He noticed about a third of the group was missing, and he figured that the ones who hadn't come felt he deserved a harsher punishment than getting thrown out of town. If one of his men had been in a similar situation in his stead, Iroh couldn't help but wonder which group he would've been a part of.

"You can't go." The voice chilled him to his core. He saw Bolin behind his men. His men also turned to look towards the source of the voice. "Is that...?" one of his men started, but before he could finish Bolin had made his way past the men and wrapped his arms around Iroh. He rested his head on Iroh's chest.

"Bolin, you're suffocating me."

Bolin responded by loosening his grip slightly. He didn't let go of him. "I won't let you go."

Iroh chuckled and caressed the top of Bolin's head. "I'm afraid you are going to have to let me go."

Bolin raised his head to look him in the eyes. "Lin explained the whole thing to me. But I can convince Mako, he won't..."

"Bolin. It's not Mako. It's me and you. You are too young. And will be for quite a while. Enjoy your youth, for once it's gone, it doesn't come back. Believe me."

Bolin let go of him and hugged himself. He had tears in his eyes. Iroh had said the same thing many times, but this was the last time. His face was distorted with grief. "You gahn ohnly sa-say dat because you don-hng- love meh", he barely managed to say as he wept. He turned away from Iroh because he didn't want him to see him in such a weak state.

To his surprise, Iroh hugged him from behind. He held him as Bolin struggled to breath between sobbing. He nuzzled his neck, right where he had bit him. "You're not the only one who lied before", he whispered in his ear so his men wouldn't hear him. He then let go of Bolin, saluted his men in goodbye and started walking down the stairs.

"I'll wait for you!" Bolin called behind him.

"You will do no such thing. It was not our time. Nor will it ever be. That won't change in a few years, so I suggest you start dating people your own age as soon as possible", Iroh said without turning. He knew he had been cruel. He had first told Bolin he had been lying about not loving him, but then essentially told him to get lost. He suspected, however, that Bolin had never had someone truly love him, and maybe he needed to know that at least once one person, maybe the wrong person, but still someone, had. The best thing he could do for Bolin now was to leave and never come back. That way Bolin could start getting over him and find someone more suited for his needs.

As he walked down the stairs, his resolve began to waver, however, as he could long hear the heartbreaking sound of Bolin's crying behind him. He continued ahead, as he knew that if he turned back and consoled Bolin one last time, it would only hurt the boy worse when he left again.

In a day's time he was back in the Fire Nation.


	6. Author's notes

**Author's notes**

Hey, thanks for reading _Guilt_. Reviews especially were much appreciated, they are love :)

I was surprised by how big of a part Mako played in this story. He is the good guy trying to protect his brother, but of course he is also the main obstacle between Iroh and Bolin.

Since Korra was interrogated by Lin in the first episode without her parents needing to be there, I figured that many things, like for example age of consent, would be 17. (For example Mako is 18 and Korra is 17). Okay, in Atla couples were 12 to 13 but perhaps city folk have stricter rules about these things. Besides, the age differences were like a year or two. I researched U.S. state laws on statutory rape, but ultimately decided to go with what I guessed from the show. Mako was initially supposed to actually slap Iroh with a restraining order to keep him away from Bolin, and Bolin was supposed to undo the order when he turned 18, but my research showed that it would be more trouble than it would be actually worth, so I decided against it.

This is kind of a downer ending. I've written melancholic endings before, but this is probably the only one where the couple actually broke up. If this gets enough reviews (this isn't blackmail, I just want to know there are people seeing what I'm writing), I might write a sequel fic. I already have a plan for a sort of a future fic where Iroh and Bolin meet again. But I warn you, it will be depressing as hell. At least initially.


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